


Rode He on Barbary

by cheshireArcher



Category: Richard II - Shakespeare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Aumerle's POV, Eating pizza, German songs, Growing feelings, Horseback Riding, Last days of summer, M/M, Playing at being king
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-08-10 01:51:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7825513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheshireArcher/pseuds/cheshireArcher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A late summer afternoon in Vermont. Richard becomes king. Ed is created an earl and wonders about what's going on in his heart. </p><p>-Partially inspired by the song "Feuerwerk" by Joris.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rode He on Barbary

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea after a day of horseback riding with a friend. We decided I was a king and I created her an earl. 
> 
> I wanted them to be in Vermont for some reason and by a stroke of luck, there's a Rutland County, VT. Rutland was one of the titles Edward of Norwich (better known as Aumerle) held.

Barbary finally did what I wanted him to do. Figures. I wasn’t the one riding him. Richard was astride him, directing him with ease and looking good while doing it. He was still wearing the designer jeans he’d arrived in, despite my warnings that they probably weren’t a good idea. He’d ignored me of course.

It wasn’t that he didn’t have experience with horses, he did- the pedigreed Arabians owned by his father’s friends and riding in full English style. He was a rich kid, to say the least. Richard's father was a software magnate, running a company that made mobile apps and gave policy to Tim Cook.

It was a little different out here on the farm, where we were out riding in the yard. Chickens and goats went pretty much wherever they wanted here- literally- and we were often followed around by some of our miniature pigs. My family wasn’t poor either- we just had a full farm. In fact, my father was an agribusiness magnate and this was just the old family farm.

I was beside him on my champion show haflinger, Ammy- short for Aumerle. Barbary, another haflinger, wasn’t going to be much for show- he played favorites and didn’t like me all that much.

He seemed to really like Richard, though.

Richard laughed. “I feel like a king up here,” he said. He certainly looked like one- perfect posture for his tall, thin frame, long copper hair flowing down his back under his helmet.

“Yeah, you’re the king,” I agreed, laughing too. “And these are your subjects!” Some of the chicken peasants scattered as we passed through them. “They seem rather dissatisfied,” I added.

“Ask them what they want,” Richard replied in his most posh, noble voice.

“They want more corn,” I said.

“See to it that their wish is granted,” he said. “They have served me well. And since you have served me so well, I create you Edward, Earl of Rutland!”

“Ooh, an earl!” This was fun, pretending to be medieval nobles.

Richard had come out to the farm to visit me before summer vacation ended and he went back to school in New Hampshire. We’d been friends for a long time, but only recently had something begun to develop between us. I wasn’t sure what or how far it would go but I was beginning to think I liked him. I wanted Richard to like me. He was the cool kid, even richer than me, popular and even though he was sometimes a jerk, I liked him. He could date anyone he wanted to, and he did, and there was little chance he'd be into me. Not anxious, dorky Ed York.

“You’re lucky Barbary likes you,” I said. “He only likes certain people and I think you’re his favorite!”

Barbary nickered in agreement.

We circled the yard a few more times, surveying his subjects, the peasants who worked my land.

“Wanna work up to a canter?” I asked. Until now, we’d just been walking.

“Sure,” Richard said with a grin, and we commanded our horses to walk on, indicating they should speed up. We got them up to a trot and after that, moved up to a canter across the yard and into the pasture. It felt amazing, riding through the pasture, the afternoon sun on our backs and the whole world laid in front of us. My heart beat along with the hooves and I really did feel like a medieval knight or noble, all we needed were our fine hunting dogs and a falcon.

I didn’t notice when Richard fell off his horse.

He’d kept up with me for the whole ride and he was gone now. I turned around to see Barbary standing about fifty yards away, and Richard lying on his back. I trotted up to them and dismounted.

“Richard! Are you okay?” I asked, kneeling down in the grass next to him.

“Yeah Ed, I’m fine,” he replied, sitting up. He started laughing. “That was amazing!”

“Doesn’t look all that cool,” I said. “Anything broken?”

“I don’t think so,” he replied, and I helped him stand up. His $200 jeans were covered in dirt and grass stains but he didn’t seem to care. Richard mounted Barbary and I got back on Ammy and we headed back up to the barn, again visiting the subjects. When we returned to the yard, Richard tried to make a speech.

“Now, my devoted subjects, I know the past few years under my predecessor were miserable and oppressive, but under my guidance-” a group of chickens walked away, and only the pigs seemed interested.

I laughed. “Maybe this village will be harder to win over, my liege,” I warned seriously. “I would also be wary of the goats- they look shifty.” I dismounted first, looking up at Richard. He really did look like a king, especially from this angle. He dismounted and we led our horses back into the barn. We untacked and brushed them down. All four of us had gotten a real workout and the horses were hungry, so we filled up the hay dispensers in their stalls.

Richard and I headed up to the house and found that my dad had ordered pizza for dinner- he’s cool, sometimes. We took one of the boxes and sat out on the deck, overlooking the yard and the pasture.

“A beautiful kingdom, your majesty,” I said, taking another bite of pepperoni and pineapple, my favorite.

“It is,” Richard said. “Tell me, Rutland, what do my subjects think of me?”

“They appear to tolerate you, my liege,” I replied.

“Marvelous.”

We sat there for a while eating our pizza, him teasing me about liking Pineapple, which according to him should never be on pizza. I responded by grabbing a piece from the box and shoving it in his mouth, laughing at his reaction.

His iPod was sitting in one of those mobile dock, playing one of his excellent mixes. He has great taste in everything. I couldn't understand the words but I knew it was in German.

“What's the song?” I asked.

Richard leaned over to look at the iPod screen. “‘Feuerwerk’ by Joris,” he replied.

“Cool,” I replied. We sat there in silence for a while, sated for pizza and watching the sunset.

_Regungslos_  
_steh ich hier_  
_Die Stille weckt_  
_den Sturm in mir_

_Motionless_  
_I stand here_  
_The silence awakens_  
_the storm in m_ e

Something stirred in me. Richard wasn't going to be here for much longer, summer would be over we'd both be going back to school.

“You seem to be Barbary’s favorite now,” I said, trying to not let the silence get awkward.

Richard smiled. “My most loyal subject,” he said.

“Besides me,” I said.

“Of course, Rutland, I could never forget you and your loyal service,” he said. He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close.

“Hey, you'll come out to the farm when you're on break, right?” I asked.

“Of course!” He replied.

_Die Luft verbrennt_  
_Die Erde bebt_  
_Ein Funke glüht_  
_Und mein Herz schlägt_

_The air burns_  
_The earth is shaking_  
_A spark is ignited_  
_And my heart beats_

I shifted his arm off of my shoulders, which earned a strange, almost offended look from Richard. It faded when I took his hand in mine. He rested his head on my shoulder and I smiled. We said nothing, just held hands and watched the sun setting over his kingdom.

Our kingdom.

_Und wir stehen zusammen_  
_wohin’s auch geht_  
_Unser Funke strahlt_

_And we stand together_  
_wherever it goes_  
_Our spark shines_

**Author's Note:**

> "Feuerwerk" by Joris: https://youtu.be/OrHkWTYg2JI


End file.
